specifically could have been done at? i realize this is a hypothetical. what military options would there have been to prevent the loss of life and to stop an attack? >> as you have said, it is tough to respond to a hypothetical. be as long as we're talking a hypotheticals, the best that would happen is that we had the heads up and to have troops on the ground. that is the best scenario. that is what works the best. once an attack takes place, the biggest problem you have is getting accurate information of what exactly is taking place in order to then develop what

response you need to do it. he cannot just willy-nilly since f-16s there without knowing what is taking place. we cannot below the target without knowing what is taken place. you have to have good information about what is taking place in order to be able to effectively respond. >> in your judgment, the most effective means would be to have food on the ground. -- boots on the ground. if at 9:42 p.m. you have received a direct order to have boot on the ground to defend our men and women there, what is the absolute fastest that could have been carried out? >> based on our posture at the time, it would have the nn + 6

plus transit time. you are looking at between 13 and 15 hours. >> in your military judgment, if there was no way conceivably to get troops on the grounds sooner than 13-15 hours. >> that is correct. >> what about assets like a 130? what would have been the absolute fastest it could have arrived? >> i do not even know exactly where they were. there were no ac-130s anywhere near africa that night. >>.

i take it neither of you received the hypothetical order at any point to get boots on the ground immediately. >> that is right. >> both of you mentioned that at 5:00 p.m. d.c. time the met with president obama for a regularly scheduled meeting where you discuss the attack at benghazi that happened about one hour in 20 minutes earlier. you said the total meeting lasted roughly 30 minutes. how much of the meeting would you estimate covered benghazi? >> when we walk into the oval office. i would say the first 15 or 20 minutes was spent on the concern about that. as well as cairo and what might happen there. >> after that 50 or 20 minute

discussion of benghazi, neither of you had any subsequent conversations with the president the rest of that day? >> we continued to top some other issues that we were dealing with at the time. once that concluded we both went back to the pentagon and immediately i ordered the deployment of these forces. >> in between 9:42 p.m. benghazi time when the first attack started at 5:00 p.m. when they lost their lives, what conversations it either of you have was secretary clinton/ -- would secretary clinton? >> would not have any conversations with secretary clinton. >> is the same trooper you --

true for you? my time is expired. senator we ask you about securing the compound in 23 days to do so. -- and the 23 days to do so. we saw news crews seeing sensitive documents. you said that you were not requested to secure the compound. had you been requested to secure the compound, the u.s. military could have done so effectively. >> yes. >> thank you. [captioning performed by national captioning institute] [captions copyright national cable satellite corp. 2013] >> you can watch more on their testimony on the attack on the consulate's in benghazi.

next, a feral ceremony for outgoing defense secretary leon panetta. president obama and the joint chiefs of staff paid tribute to him. the ceremony included members from all of the u.s. armed forces as well as performances by the band. this is about 50 minutes. ♪ ♪

[applause]

ba♪

♪ ["yankee doodle" plays]

>> ladies and gentleman, please stand for the playing of the united states national anthem. >> present arms. >> present arms. ["the star-spangled banner" plays]

>> please be seated. [indiscernible]

ladies and gentlemen, general dempsey. [applause] >> mr. president, secretary and mrs. panetta, ambassadors, members of congress, men and women of the armed forces of the united states, especially our wounded warriors, and we cannot forget bravo. i was hoping bravo would be out there for the inspection of troops, but apparently jeremy thought differently. it is an honor to be here for this event. we're here to show our profound respect and thanks to secretary panetta. i recall play "the tempest,"

which is a nice metaphor, and i like to think of you as the prospero of public service. the secretary has used his arts to imbue a sense of public service in generations of the men and women. and like that knowledgeable duke, he now asks us to let our indulgences set him free. secretary panetta could not have served so well at the fatefully without the untiring support of his wife, sylvia, and his family. and so we thank you for your selfless service that have made your husband's contributions possible. [applause] it is clear secretary panetta has mastered the balance of it is clear secretary panetta has mastered the balance of service and self. last week a clip of you was played on nbc's "meet the press" of you from 1989, and you have barely changed.

i am sure your mediterranean diet has helped, olive oil for your skin, garlic for your heart, and red wine for everything else. you speak often of your italian heritage, and it is no secret you mother wanted you to be a concert pianist. so is fitting on this day in history in 1908 sergei rachmaninoff premiered his symphony number two in st. petersburg, russia. rachmaninoff was a technical pianist. history records he rarely missed a note despite the enormous complexity of his compositions. but you chose to use your hands to orchestrate other kinds of efforts. you worked both ends of pennsylvania avenue. you and sylvia advocated for the purity of public service. then the nation called again and you answered again.

so for the past four years you have led those in the intelligence and defense communities, those trusted with protecting our nation and our families. you have led the fight for the proper amount of resources. you balanced the threat of external attack with the threat of internal insolvency. you once said diversity in america is as old as this nation itself. you did more than just speak about it. you took action. you have insured our forces will be able to draw upon the very best this nation has to offer. you have overseen the fielding of new capabilities to meet the threats of tomorrow, and you have demonstrated that steadfast commitment to families and troops wherever they are in the world. your many trips to afghanistan dedicate that only too well. tonight when i depart for the winter snows of kabul, i will carry your support to those troops and i will think about you and the potential that at

some point in the future you will enjoy that warm california sun. i have been thinking a lot about what you will do about after you give up your public surface.-- service. you talked about wanting to write a book. it could be a tom clancy novel. here is some advice -- get it cleared first. i can only imagine that you might be influenced by fellow changeless monterey notable john steinbeck. he described in detail the life of immigrants, farm workers in california. in the little time i have had in the last few days, i have thought of alternative titles for your parable about the individual and the institution. so here goes. instead of "east of eden," one could be "east of the potomac." or instead of "the grapes of wrath," i would humbly suggest "the nuts of taedium."

you will recall that "taedium" is latin for "boredom." you could convert one of those bestsellers into a movie.your time with us has been anything but boring. i hear james gandolfini is available to play you again as he did.in "zero dark thirty." tony soprano's character was pauli walnuts. while gandolfini had to wear a wig, he captured your service. for those five decades you have never yielded to cynicism, you have always believed in the goodness of governing well. your character and competence have set the example. in 2009 you told the graduating class of the university of maryland to go forward knowing you are greater than the

challenges of your time. you have made our nation safer. you have made our men in uniform and women stronger. and you have prepared us to meet the challenges ahead in our time and in the future. for that, you have earned our eternal esteem. ladies and gentlemen, it is my great honor to introduce our commander in chief, president barack obama. [applause] >> thank you. please be seated. in the years between the world wars, a young married couple in italy packed up what few belongings that they had and

boarded a boat for a new world. they passed under the statute of liberty, and went through the lines of ellis island. carmelo and cramelina panetta had no money and spoke little english. but they had a dream of a better life. they worked hard. they went west to california. they started a family and taught their sons that if they studied and worked, if they gave back to this country, that they too could share in the american dream, so today we pay tribute to their son, leon panetta, a man who has not simply lived up to the american dream, but has helped to protect it for all of us.

leon, our presence here today, members of congress, deputy secretary carter, general dempsy, and members of the joint chiefs, service secretaries, and the men and women of the greatest military that the world has ever known, all this is a reflection of our personal appreciation to you and the gratitude of a nation that you have helped keep strong and free. by the time i came into office, leon panetta and was regarded as one of our finest public servants, with an extraordinary career across more than four decades. he and sylvia have settled into the good life. their beautiful monterey, their beloved walnut farm, and leon will deny it, but i hear he was growing restless, he wanted less time on the tractor, more time in the office, less time in

california, more time in washington, interacting with the west wing and members of congress. who wouldn't? [laughter] so we gave him his wish. leon, i will always be grateful that you agreed to return to public service, and, sylvia, i am so grateful that you put up with him. your leadership of the cia will forever be remembered for the blows that we struck against al qaeda and perhaps the greatest intelligence success in american history, delivering justice to osama bin laden. [applause] by then, leon had every right to expect that he could return home, and i admit that when we first asked him to lead the pentagon, his answer was simple

no. but i kept asking him. i am persistent. that is how michelle married me. i just kept at it, and it is a testament to his patriotism, to his sense of duty that leon agreed to serve on this one last tour. perhaps it was the memory of his parents opening their homes up to g.i.'s headed to the pacific. perhaps it was leon, who served himself, a young lieutenant in the army. perhaps it was the experience of watching his youngest son deployed to afghanistan. what we do know is this -- as our nation's's 23rd secretary of defense, in every action leon panetta has taken, every decision he has made has been with one goal in mind -- taking care of our sons and our

daughters in uniform and keeping america safe. just think of the progress under his watch. because we ended the war in iraq, winding down the war in afghanistan, our troops are coming home, and next year our war in afghanistan will come to an end. we have put the core of al qaeda on the path to defeat. we have been relentless against its affiliates. because we have a sacred obligation to our troops to take care of them like they have taken care of us, we are improving treatment of warriors, setting up support of families, and helping our newest veterans transition to civilian life, and that includes jobs our veterans need as we do nation-building at home. because we believe in

opportunity for all americans, the tenure of secretary leon panetta, the son of immigrants, a first-generation american, will be remembered for historic progress in welcoming more of our fellow citizens to military service, for the formal and final repeal of don't ask don't tell, for opening combat roles to our incredible women in uniform. in short, for making our military and our nation that much stronger. because we forged a new defense strategy, we will be better prepared for the future, better prepared to meet the threats that we face without a larger military footprint, better prepared against cyber attacks, better prepared to advance our interests in the asia-pacific region, and after more than a decade of war, better prepared for the broadest range of

contingencies. keeping us prepared will be the mission of my nominee to be the next secretary of defense, a combat veteran with the experience, judgment, and vision our troops deserve, chuck hagel. and since we are now just weeks away from the automatic cuts to federal spending, including defense, let me say this -- there is no reason, no reason for that to happen, putting our fiscal house in order calls for a balanced approach, not massive indiscriminate cuts that could have a severe impact on our military preparedness. so here today, for the sake of our prosperity, for the sake of all these men and women in uniform, and all their brothers and sisters in uniform that they represent, now is the time to act, for democrats and republicans to come together in the same spirit that leon panetta always brought to public

service -- solving problems, not trying to score points, doing right for the country, not for any particular political agenda, sustaining our economic recovery, balancing budgets. leon knows something about it, but also maintaining the finest military in history. leon, this too will be part of your legacy, for no one has raised their voice as firmly or as forcefully on behalf of our troops as you have. you have served with integrity and decency and grace. you are a reminder of what public service ought to be. you have led with heart and you have led with humor. indeed, they say that you have never seen our wounded warriors

smile as wide or heard them laugh as loud as when they get a visit from their secretary of defense. whatever the challenge, leon, you always give it to us straight, sometimes in words that cannot be repeated in public. [laughter] today, we want to make sure to thank sylvia and the entire panetta family for sharing their husband, their father, and their grandfather with the rest of us, for sharing bravo, the first dog of the pentagon. sylvia, leon's service has been your sacrifice, and we promise this time he really is coming home. leon, from your first day in uniform until today, your dedicated service to america has spanned nearly 50 remarkable years. as you review these fine troops one last time, as you return home and walk on your farm, know

that the grand arc of your life speaks to our larger american story, where you can say with confidence and pride that you have fulfilled the hopes that brought carmelo and cramelina panetta to these shores all those years ago. you made them proud. you have helped keep alive the american dream, for not only your children and grandchildren, but for all our children and grandchildren, and for that we will be truly grateful. leon, as your parents would say, grazie. god bless you, and god bless the united states of america. ladies and gentlemen, our secretary of defense, leon panetta. [applause]

>> thank you very much. mr. president, i am deeply touched by your moving words, about me, about my family, more importantly about the men and women who serve in the department of defense. all of us are truly honored by your presence, and i thank you. let me also take this moment to thank michelle and jill biden for the outstanding work they

have done in leading the joining forces initiative, which has provided great support for military families who have done so much for us. marty dempsey, i appreciate your kind remarks. marty and i have testified before congress. it was the 11th time yesterday that we have done that. and we have also done 10 press conferences together. we are developing a very convincing case for collecting hazard pay in these jobs. [laughter] as we used to say when i was in the army, there is not anyone i would rather be in the foxhole with than marty dempsey. i cannot tell you what a privilege it has been to work with you and to work with all of

the service chiefs. we have dealt with some very tough issues, and there is no way, no way that i could have done this job without your support, without your loyalty, and without your dedication. members of congress, leaders of the administration, leaders of the department of defense, distinguished guests, many dear friends who we have known over the years, sylvia and i are very thankful to all of you for coming here today. this is without question the fanciest sendoff i have ever gotten in washington. [laughter] let me remember the words of president harry truman, who once

said, "if you want a friend in washington, get a dog." and that is just what i did. and i am grateful that bravo is here today. bravo was in all of the meetings when we planned the bin laden operation, and he also sat in in many sensitive meetings and discussions i had in the pentagon. i want you to know that he has never told a soul what he heard. [laughter] he is definitely not a a leaker at least according to that definition of the word. [laughter] you have heard of the movie "zero dark 30." the producer is considering a sequel called "zero bark 30."

it has been 50 years of public service, and i will and always cherish the deep and lasting friendships that i have made in washington. and i am extremely grateful that so many of those friends could be here this afternoon. i have spent a long time in this town. as the son of immigrants, as the president pointed out, i have truly lived the american dream. being an italian-american, in congress, at senior levels in the executive branch, it has been for me a very unique experience. i have never lost my awe by the sight of the capitol and the

white house at night. it is still a very special experience. i remember when i was first elected to the house of representatives, there was a member that the president may recall by the name of frank, from chicago, who came up to me and said, "panetta. that is an italian." i said, "yes, it is." he said, "good." he said, "i want you to join the italian caucus." of course, i was not going to say no to an italian from chicago. [laughter] he said, "great." he said, "we don't do much on issues, but we eat good." [laughter] and that was true. many years later, when i came to langley as president obama's

director of central intelligence, i got a mug from my family with a big cia, standing for "california italian-american." in all seriousness, mr. president, i want to express my deepest thanks to you for the opportunity to serve this country again as a member of your administration. it has been a tremendous honor and privilege these past four years, and especially now as the 23rd secretary of defense. i hope that in some small way i have helped to fulfil the dream of my parents, the dream that they wanted, and a dream that all of us want, of giving our children a better life. it has been for me a hell of a

ride. i will never forget the pride and exhilaration when i walked out of the white house after the president announced the success of the bin laden operation, and i could hear the chants of those people who were gathered around the white house and in lafayette park yelling, "usa! usa!" thank you, mr. president, for your strong support in what was a very tough decision. the memory of that operation and the team that helped put it together, both the intelligence team and the military team, will be with me forever. i will remember traveling to combat theaters and bases around the world, looking into the eyes of brave men and women who are

putting their lives on the line every day for this country. i will remember the moments when we have honored veterans of past wars and when we have been inspired by service members and wounded warriors returning from today's wars. and i will always remember the moments of grief, when it this nation has rendered final honors to fallen heroes and when we have had to comfort their families. writing notes and condolences to those families who have lost loved ones has been for me my toughest job. these moments of selflessness, these moments of sacrifice, of courage, of heroism give me a renewed sense of pride in our

country and gives me a sense of optimism for the future. i have witnessed a new generation of americans ask themselves what they could do for their country. and i have seen a profound difference that talented men and women with a sense of duty and sacrifice can make in the life of this nation and in the life of our world. for more than a decade of war, our democracy was dependent on the men and women of the united states military to bear the awesome burden and to preserve our freedom. they have done everything the nation asked them to do and more, and i will have no greater honor in my life than to have been able to lead them as

secretary of defense. i learned a long time ago that there is not much you can accomplish in washington on your own. you need a team behind you. and at the department of defense, i have been blessed with an exceptional team, from senior civilian and military leaders all the way down through the chain of command, and together i am proud of the important achievements we have been able to accomplish for the nation. we developed and we have begun implementing a new defense strategy for the 21st century, which protects the strongest military power in the world and meets our responsibility to fiscal discipline. we are bringing, as the president said, more than a decade of war to a responsible end, ending the war in iraq, giving the iraqi people a chance to secure and govern themselves,

and in afghanistan, our campaign is well on track to completing that mission. we are committed to an enduring relationship with the afghan people so they too can govern and secure themselves in the future. we have kept pressure on al qaeda and are going after extremists wherever they may hide. and we have shown the world, we have shown the world that nobody attacks united states of america and gets away with it. [applause] we are keeping faith, keeping faith with and caring for our returning veterans and wounded warriors. i am particularly proud that we have expanded opportunities for

everyone to serve and our-- in our military, in a democracy, and in a democracy, everybody should be given a chance to meet the qualifications needed to serve this country. it is a basic value that we fight to protect. despite the progress we have made together, there's no question that there remain some very significant challenges, dangerous instabilities abroad, budget constraints, political gridlock here at home, but one thing i have learned is that you cannot -- you cannot be involved in public service and not be optimistic about the future. i am confident that under the leadership of the president and the leaders of the congress that we can and must stay on the right path to build the military force we need for the 21st

century. winston churchill once wrote, "the future is unknowable, but the past should give us hope." this is a time of uncertainty, but my career in public service gives me hope that the leaders of this nation will come together to resolve the challenges facing this country and to seize the opportunities for the 21st century. we have overcome wars, we have overcome disasters, we have overcome economic depressions and recessions, we have overcome crises of every kind throughout the history of our country, and throughout our history, the fighting spirit of our fellow americans has made clear that we never, never, never give up. our forefathers, pioneers, the

immigrant families that came here all fought together to give our children that better life. we cannot fail to do the same. none of us in public service, none of us in public service could carry on that fight without the love and support of our families. everything i have been able to accomplish in my life, in my life, life and life together, has been because of the support of my family -- my immigrant parents, my family, my sons, their families, but most of all sylvia. we have been married 50 years. she has endured extended absences and long hours that come with public service.

but she has always been there, and i will never be able to thank her enough for her constant love and support. her valentine gift is both of us going home together. [applause] it has been the honor of my life to have served in the position of secretary of defense, and wherever i go, whatever i do, i will thank god every day for the men and women in this country who are willing to put their lives on the line for all of us. they have responded to the call

of the bugle, with courage and with selfless dedication to the country. my prayer as i leave is that we all have the same courage and dedication to protecting our nation, the united states of america, the home of the free and the brave. god bless america, god bless you, and god bless the men and women in the department of defense. [applause]

>> attention. armed guard, attention. honor, hut. passes review. armed guard, time for review. right. right face. right shoulder. present arms.

forward mark time. ["march grandioso"]

♪ ♪

♪ ♪

[applause] right face. ready step.

>> ladies and gentleman, please stand and remain for the departure of the official guard. [applause]

>> on the next "washington journal," in wall drawn gun control and immigration -- amy walter on gun control. kei kawashima on civic activities by young people and the special inspector general for afghanistan reconstruction on how much has been spent in afghanistan and what is being accomplished. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. >> having observed a steady improvements in the opportunities and well-being of our citizens, i can report to you in this old and faithful union, it is good. >> in keeping with a time- honored tradition, i have come to report to you on the state of the union. i am pleased to report that america is much improved. there is reason to believe that

much will continue. >> my duty is to report on the state of the union, not our government, but on our american community. and to set forth our responsibilities in the words of our founders to form a more perfect union. the state of the unionist from. >> as we gather tonight, our nation is at war. our economy is in a recession. the civilized world faces unprecedented dangers, yet the state of our union has never been stronger. >> it is because of our people that our future is helpful in our journey goes forward and the state of our union is strong. >> tuesday, president obama delivering this year's address live on c-span with a preview starting at 8:00 p.m. and the president at 9:00 followed by the gop response and your

reaction. the state of the union tuesday night on c-span, c-span radio, and c-span.org. she was the first presidential wife to be called the first lady and the first to get a college education. when she and rutherford b. hayes celebrated their anniversary in the white house, see the first of its kind project for television investigating the public and private lives of the women who served as first lady. season one begins in one week on president's day at 9:00 p.m. eastern and pacific on c-span, c-span radio, and c-span.org. >> next, president obama announces his recommendation for secretary of the interior. this is 15 minutes. >> please have a seat.

everybody is so formal. [laughter] well, good afternoon, everybody. ken salazar likes to saythe department of the interior is actually the department of america. other members of my cabinet may not entirely agree with that statement but you can see where he's coming from. secretary of the interior is in charge of overseeing 500 million acres of public land, including places like yellowstone and the grand canyon and protecting our natural heritage for our children and our grandchildren and their children to come. but the job also requires keeping an eye on america's future and making smart decisions about how we create jobs and help businesses grow and put ourselves on a path towards energy independence and that's not always an easy balancing act. but with enthusiasm and skill

and dedication, that's exactly what ken salazar's done for the last four years. we were just reminiscing a little bit. i've known ken since we were both running for the senate together and became the only two incoming democrats in our senate class. pete remembers this. it was a lonely time. we actually lived in the same building when we first arrived in washington. and, ken, you'll recall, it was a little discouraging because basically everybody else that lived there was 20 or 25. so we were the two geriatrics in this building. but i came to appreciate quickly, not just him. not only did i come to appreciate his jump shot -- he's surprisingly quick on the court -- but also his patriotism

and his belief that we have a responsibility to care for the land with which we've been blessed. it's not surprising that ken feels this way. his ancestors were living here before the mayflower set sail. as he explains it and relevant as we are working to get immigration reform passed. his family did not cross the border. the border crossed them. and that's why when i needed someone to lead the interior i didn't need to look far. since then ken has cracked down on waste. ofs improved the management the department to make it work

better for the american people. he's ushered in a new era of conservation for our land, our water and our wildlife. he's established seven new national parks, 10 new national wildlife refuges. he's opened more public land and water for safe and responsible energy production -- not just gas and oil but wind and solar -- creating thousands of new jobs and nearly doubling our use of renewable energy in this country. he's helped to forge what's probably the strongest working relationship with tribal leaders that the federal government has seen in modern times. and when the unexpected has happened, like the gulf oil spill or hurricane sandy, he's been on the ground making sure that people get help right away and we deal with these challenges as professionally as possible. so i really like ken salazar, if you haven't gotten the point. [laughter] ken is now ready to head back to colorado and spend more time with hope and his family and so in addition to just saying thank you, ken, for the extraordinary work that you've done, ken is also going to have

the opportunity to introduce his successor. and i am extraordinarily proud today to nominate another strong and capable leader to take the reins at interior and that is ms. sally jewell. in high school sally's aptitude test showed she had a knack for mechanical reasonable and spatial -- we check. we do thorough vetting before nominations. [laughter] of course her recommended professions after she took these professions were to be a nurse or a teacher. just like all the other girls in her class. and it wasn't until she was an undergraduate at the university of washington she realized her boyfriend's home work was more interesting than hers and she decided to become an engineer. sally went on to work in the

oil fields of oklahoma and california. later she brought her experience in the energy sector in banking where she spent 19 years determining what companies succeed and fail. and most recently as the c.e.o. of r.e.i., a position she's held for the last eight years. sally has helped turn a stalling outdoor retailer into one of america's most successful and environmentally conscious companies. last year r.e.i. donated almost $4 million to protect trails and parks, and 20% of electricity used in their stores comes from renewable sources. even as sally spent the majority of her career outside of washington, where i might add the majority of our interior is located, she is an expert on the energy and climate issues that are going to shape our future. she's committed to building our nation-to-nation relationship with indian country. she knows the link between conservation and good jobs.

she knows that there's no contradiction between being good stewards of the land and our economic progress. that in fact those two things need to go hand in hand. she's shown a company with more than $1 billion in sales can do the right thing for our planet. sally's broad expertise and set of values i know are going to serve her well as she takes on these new challenges. she's got a wonderful and supportive family who i understand enjoy the great outdoors just like she does. so they got a vested interest in making sure that the department of the interior is doing the right thing. when sally's confirmed, i'm willing to bet that she will be the first secretary of the interior who frequently hikes mailbox peak in her native washington state and who once

spent a month climbing mountains in antarctica which i don't think of something i would do because it seems like it would be cold and i was born in hawaii.

in both of them to say if you were starting with my dear friend, can salazar. >> thank you, mr. president. is it the same one i have? >> no, that's sally's. just didn't want to get them mixed up. >> let me just first of all say to president obama that i am humbled and honored beyond imagination to have been a part of the president obama dream team for the united states of america. his presidency is historic. his team in the white house is historic and the team at the department of interior are historic. and for that i will ever be eternally grateful to you, my wonderful friend, mr. president. >> thank you. [applause] >> so with your leadership and support and this wonderful team

that we have here, we have in fact changed the way that the department of interior does business. we have seized the opportunity together with our other closing on the cabinet and under the president's leadership and your stellar staff here at the white house to put the nation on a path towards energy independence. today, the largest solar projects in the history of the world are coming up out of the deserts of the public lands of the united states and our foreign oil imports are at the lowest that they have been since 1995. i'm proud, mr. president, of you and your team. because of your leadership on conservation for america. from your support and the signing of the historic 2009

public lands act to the launch of america's great outdoors. together we have ushered in a 21st century conservation agenda and preserve the crown jewels of our nation. from the crown of the continent in montana to the florida everglades to the statue of liberty. i'm proud of our historic work and perhaps more proud of this than almost anything else for the nation's first americans. from resolving the longstanding conflicts like cobell, to delivering clean drinking water to the navajo nation, you've given credibility, mr. president, to the proposition that the nation's first americans, too, will share in the american dream. mr. president, my parents pushed their eight children to become first generation college graduates and taught us that anything was possible in this nation of ours. as your secretary of interior, you have given to me the opportunity to prove them right and to achieve that american dream, and for that, hope, my entire family will be eternally grateful to you. today, mr. president, i'm also proud to stand with you here as you announce your selection of

an outstanding person to be your nominee for secretary of interior. sally jewell knows firsthand the inextricable link between conservation and the economy. sally was a key contributor to you and to your entire team in the creation of the america's great outdoors agenda. she's been a champion of land and water conservation fund and so many other conservation issues of our time. i also know that her successful business record and experience as an oil and gas engineer will serve her well as she implements your all-of the above energy agenda, which has been such a keystone to you over the last four years, and i'm sure you will have more to say about that very soon. so mr. president, i believe as

you have done with all the decisions that you have made since i have been working with you on your team, this is a stellar decision and you've chosen somebody who will be a stellar, outstanding secretary of the interior, sally jewell. \[applause] >> well, thank you, mr. president, for your kind words and for the confidence you're placing in me with this nomination. i have a great job at r.e.i. today, but there's no role that compares than the call to serve our country as secretary of the department of interior. i'm humbled and i'm energized by this opportunity and i look forward to getting to know members of the senate as they

consider my nomination in the coming weeks. thank you, secretary salazar, for the opportunities you've given to people across this country, to engage with the department of interior, sharing their hopes and their dreams for our public lands, our resources, our people, especially our first people, our history and our culture. i look forward to working with the dedicated employees at interior who work so hard to care for our land and our resources every day. i'm going to do my best to fill those big boots of yours, but i think i might get lost in your hat. thank you, warren, my husband of nearly 35 years. my two children, peter and ann, for their love and their support

on this career journey. >> tomorrow on "the washington journal," then dental and immigration and then a new report on civic activities by young people and then the special inspector general for afghanistan reconstruction on how much money has been spent in afghanistan and what has been accomplished. "washington journal" live at 7:00 a.m. eastern on c-span. the senate returns tomorrow night to o'clock p.m. eastern to reserve consideration on the violence against women -- tomorrow at 2:00 p.m. is turned. live coverage on c-span2. the house is not on session monday but they will come back tuesday. they will recess around 5:34 a security sweep prior to the president's state of the union address. watch live coverage of the house watch live coverage of the house and